FRISCO – FC Dallas Homegrown signing Chris Richards has been called in to the U.S. U-20 National Team by head coach Tab Ramos for a 12-day camp beginning in Florida before heading to Honduras for two matches against Los Catrachos on May 17 and 19.
It is the first U-20 call-up for Richards, who was signed as the 22nd Homegrown in club history on April 12. The defender has spent the last 10 days on a training stint with FC Bayern Munich as part of the youth development partnership between the two clubs.
The matchups mark the first time the USA has faced Honduras since the 2017 Concacaf U-20 Championship final, in which the previous U-20 MNT cycle defeated Honduras in penalty kicks to claim the first regional title for the U.S. U-20 program.
“I am encouraged by the start of this group,” U-20 Men’s National Team head coach Tab Ramos said. “Their effort and confidence displayed during our trip to Spain was impressive, especially considering that our two games against France were very difficult. Some players on this roster going to Honduras have very little or no international experience and with World Cup Qualifying fast approaching, we are looking forward to providing valuable challenges to this U-20 Men’s National Team. Honduras was the runner-up in last year’s Concacaf U-20 Championship and will again be one of the strongest teams looking to secure a place in next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland. Playing against them on their home field will allow our players and team to grow on and off the field.”
The U-20 MNT is midway through the first year of a two-year cycle with the focus on qualifying for the 2019 U-20 Men’s World Cup in Poland. The two matches in Honduras add to the USA’s preparation schedule that has already included two matches against the France U-21s and a friendly vs. Atletico Madrid’s U-21s.
Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): David Ochoa (Real Salt Lake; Oxnard, Calif.), Seth Stiebel (Saint Louis FC; O'Fallon, Miss.)
DEFENDERS (6): Glademir Mendoza (Real Salt Lake; Phoenix, Ariz.), Manny Perez (N.C. State University; Garner, N.C.), Matthew Real (Philadelphia Union; Drexel Hill, Pa.), Chris Richards (FC Dallas; Hoover, Ala.), Sam Rogers (Seattle Sounders FC; Seattle, Wash.), Angel Uribe (Club Tijuana; San Diego, Calif.)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Frankie Amaya (Pateadores; Santa Ana, Calif.), Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC; Powder Springs, Ga.), Chris Goslin (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Ga.), Andres Jimenez (Envigado FC; Miami, Fla.), Richie Ledezma (Real Salt Lake; Casa Grande, Ariz.), Alex Mendez (LA Galaxy; Los Angeles, Calif.), Aristotle Zarris (LA Galaxy; Sarasota, Fla.)
FORWARDS (6): Simon Becher (Oakwood Academy SC; Brooklyn, Conn.), Shaft Brewer Jr. (LAFC; Sacramento, Calif.), Wilson Harris (Sporting Kansas City; Encino, Calif.), Abdulkadir Haji (Manchester, N.H.; Virginia Commonwealth University), Ulysses Llanez Jr. (LA Galaxy; Lynwood, Calif.), Justin Rennicks (Indiana University; Hamilton, Mass.)